Hobo, a northern hairy-nosed wombat rescued by Tina Janssen of Australian Animals Care and Education Sanctuary
Do you know the difference between freezing wombat sperm and koala sperm? After 13 years researching wombat behaviour and reproduction, Associate Professor Stephen Johnston and his team from The University of Queensland School of Agriculture and Food Sciences are experts on the topic. "We've been very successful in developing techniques to freeze wombat sperm," Dr Johnston said. "The more challenging part has been pioneering techniques to detect when female wombats are ovulating (as their oestrus is difficult to detect) to artificially inseminate them at the optimal time. "Conversely, we have the opposite problem with koalas. "Koala sperm doesn't freeze well. However, researchers find it easier to detect when female koalas are in heat." The UQ team's expertise in this area has resulted in 15 new common wombat and southern hairy-nosed wombat offspring, including three in the current breeding season. It has also led to 24 full peer-reviewed journal publications and four UQ higher degree theses.
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